


The Island of Lost Souls

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, Stalking, Weird Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22443037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: For some time Hux had observed that the Supreme Leader was going on certain nightly ‘excursions’, alone. Whether by fear or by tact, he gave no sign of this knowledge, and it continued to vex him – as if some secret was being kept from him in plain sight.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	The Island of Lost Souls

For some time Hux had observed that the Supreme Leader was going on certain nightly ‘excursions’, alone. Whether by fear or by tact, he gave no sign of this knowledge, and it continued to vex him – as if some secret was being kept from him in plain sight. It was more than curiosity that led him to pursue these investigations, there was furthermore a faint hope of discovering something that would allow him to exert an influence over Ren – while stopping short of becoming a target for execution.

This was certainly a fine line to tread, Hux thought to himself as he accessed the data log for the coordinates. He was too desperate for such hopes to let them slip away.

It appeared that Ren had made some effort to conceal his whereabouts – a feeble effort, but one that promised something worth hiding.

Hux waited for a few hours before heading to the ship bay and taking a prototype vessel that was renowned for its stealth capabilities, one that would surely not be missed – one of his projects which had recently been postponed for more ‘important’ missions. It was with a certain restless foreboding that Hux reclined in the ship and gazed distractedly at the expanse of darkness and stars without. He did not know what he would find, and there was no doubt as to the kind of reception he could expect to be given. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to peruse the matter, vague notions regarding the greater good of the Order echoing faintly in his mind, intermingling with other baser emotions – revenge, bitterness, and something else he was glad to keep concealed, even from himself.

His ship approached the planet, a small insignificant thing, yet habitable – teeming with life, even.

Sensors detected fresh air, water and a diversity of life forms hiding beneath the expansive canopy of trees. Rolling mountains were visible on the northern side of the planet and dunes to the south. The ship continued to search the surface, honing in on any sign of a First Order ship tracking device. Of course this was too much to hope for, even in the case of Ren. Assuming this had been disabled, he had the sensors gravitate towards any significant source of energy – a strategy which soon yielded a target.

He attempted a careful quiet landing on the other side of the beach, deciding to walk through the forest to where he had traced Kylo’s ship. The hike took much longer than he had anticipated, having overestimated his fitness and the ease with which he might cut a path through the overgrown plant life. Several strange creatures accosted him with piercing shrieks and the beating of wings, these he sought to avoid in the future. After a journey of several miles, at last he found himself at the wood’s end, hoping that he was not too late.

Drenched in sweat, his hair dishevelled, and his uniform in a deplorable state, Hux could not help but wish to bathe in the cool water that stretched no more than several meters from where he crouched.

Suddenly, he saw the familiar figure of Kylo Ren wading closer to the shore, shaking off his mop of dark locks. He walked towards a makeshift fire pit over which some kind of overcooked beast was suspended in a primitive fashion. Hux watched all the while, trying to ignore the stinging sensation along his ankle until at last it grew unbearable.

“Who’s there?” the general froze at the sound of the voice.

He stared at the completely naked body of the Supreme Leader, who regarded him with an equally contorted expression of outrage. Surely he could not see him through the trees, especially not with the concealment technology.

Hux staggered backwards trying to scramble to his feet through a clump of roots and brambles as Ren charged at him like an angry bison. Before long he found himself pinned down on his back while salty water dripped onto his face from Kylo’s hair. In little time, a rough hand fumbled about his chest and found the concealment device, crushing it like an insect.

The general took a deep breath, his lips a thin scowl.

“Get off of me,” he said with as much authority as he could muster. Ren continued to glare at him and so he forced a feeble smile, as if the whole situation was something amusing.

“What are you doing here?” Ren spat, his grip tightening around Hux’s wrists.

“I could ask you the same question,” Hux tried to gather his composure, giving up trying to struggle out from beneath Kylo.

“It is not your place to question what I do or where I go, General,” Ren pulled him onto his feet by the collar of his tunic. Hux’s lip quivered, trying to hold back what he would have liked to have said.

He brushed off his clothes pathetically, trying not to look at the naked man standing unabashedly in front of him.

“I thought perhaps I could be of assistance,” Hux knew this was a weak excuse but he wanted to get the other to talk.

“You were spying on me,” Ren did not hesitate to say.

“Yes,” Hux surprised himself with his words.

“Why?”

“Because you have been acting strangely”

“What did you imagine I was doing?”

“I did not know – even now I do not know, perhaps this is your little secret hideaway. What you are hiding I cannot tell, nor is that my business...as you have rightly pointed out. It certainly is a...charming place,” Hux forced a smile. Ren continued to look at him with a vacant, or else, accusatory expression.

“I go here to hide myself,” he spoke at last.

“From what?” Hux was surprised by the unlikely confession.

“From the likes of you – meddling inquisitive bastards, always watching me and waiting for their chance,” suddenly Hux felt a hand wrap around his throat and lift him in the air.

“S-stop t-that,” his fingers grasped at nothingness as he felt the force crushing him. Just as suddenly, it released him, and he fell to the ground in a heap.

“I believe you required a reminder,” said Ren somberly.

“A reminder of what? That you wish me dead?”

“That I will not suffer you to live if you get in my way, do you understand?”

“What is more perplexing is that you have ‘suffered me to live’ for as long as this,” he said provokingly, the degradation which he experienced stirred in him a masochistic longing.

“Because you may still be of use to me,” Ren replied.

“Would you not say that it is most unwise to surround yourself with those whom you distrust. You risk the danger of underestimating them.”

“I trust you. I trust you in the sense that you are predictable. But you will serve your purpose, despite your intentions”

Hux did not know how to respond to this prophecy, or whatever it was, yet Ren’s confidence in it struck him as both frightening and foolish.

“I can feel that you are unhappy,” Kylo spoke again, drawing a step closer to him, at which Hux took a step back, “you have lived to serve and to obey, yet you find yourself repulsive – sycophantic. Only when you feel that you have nothing to lose, only then will you show your true nature and bite the hand that feeds you”

“Yes, well, what ought I to be happy about? Should I be grateful that you have spared my insignificant –“

“No,” Kylo pushed him against a tree with his hand, yet there was no sign of anger in his eyes, it seemed that he only wished to silence him. They stared at one another in confusion.

“What is this about?” Hux interrupted the unnerving silence, “are you losing your mind in this heat or do you simply enjoy taunting me?” he was not sure if he imagined it but he felt as though something was moving along his back.

Ren pressed his hand over Hux’s mouth and then pulled him close so that the man’s face was muffled against his chest. He could hear a piercing inhuman shriek as he was obliged to awkwardly shuffled away from the tree, never having seen what exactly had seared away part of the fabric of his tunic. He was half dragged out of the brambles, falling upon his knees in the sand.

Ren offered him his hand, which Hux ignored, pretending to be scanning the waters for some invisible object as he brushed himself off and strode purposefully towards the water. Anything to avoid Kylo’s strange and unnerving conversations.

The sun was setting and they both sat gloomily before the fire eating the singed and unsalted meat of some kind of red-plumaged hog which was sure to give Hux indigestion.

“Do you like it here?” asked Ren after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Y-yes, it is rather peaceful, isn’t it,” said Hux blandly, a part of him still felt tense around Ren, never knowing what to expect from him.

“That is why I chose this planet. I will return to it for good, once the Order is no more”

“What do you mean ‘no more’?” Hux could not mask his incredulity.

“You will know when the time comes”

“Are you planning to destroy your own – “

“No,” Ren grew visibly irritated, as if he was being taken for a fool.

“Why are you telling me this?” Hux watched him over the flickering red flames of the fire pit.

“Because you are here,” he answered, his mind distracted by another thought.

“That is hardly a good reason to take someone into your confidence, I must admit,” said Hux sardonically. 

“I needed to tell someone – you are right, sometimes it feels as though I am going mad, with only my own thoughts,” he considered likewise how easy it would be to dispose of Hux if he should betray him, leaving him amid the wilderness.

“I-I know what that feels like,” Hux did not look at him as he spoke.

“You are wondering why I chose you, but you would not like it...if I told you”

“Will you stop being so vague and melodramatic?” Hux smirked, tossing away a bone into the heap by the fire. 

Ren smirked back. For a while neither of them said anything. He heard Hux sigh heavily as he laid down on the sand, looking up at the starry sky.

“This place is truly remarkable,” Armitage murmured half to himself, wondering how long it had been since he was able to properly relax and get away from it all. Yet the moment was but transitory as he heard Ren get up and walk over to sit beside him, putting him on end, like he was being watched by a caged tiger.

“You are afraid of me, but you do not have to be. Not now,” he felt Ren reach out and place a hand upon his shoulder, his disproportionate face staring down at him with an expression of pain or concern, he did not know what it was exactly.

“I am not afraid of you,” Hux said in assumed smugness, in truth feeling uncomfortable by the strange inscrutableness of the other.

He felt Ren’s large hand press down lightly upon his chest, his dark eyes continuing to stare at him.

“W-what are you doing?” Hux was prepared to push the hand away but his own fingers lingered beside it, as if not sure if he ought to make any sudden movements.

“I want to feel your heartbeat”

“Before you kill me?” he smiled sarcastically and then swallowed hard, wondering if it might be true. Still, he was loathe to admit that he was afraid.

“No,” said Ren, his lips close to Hux’s ear so that the feeling of his breath caused a shiver to run down his spine, “I know how you feel about me, sometimes”

Hux’s eyes went wide, his lips parting slightly, before he managed to regain his assumed indifference. Surely it was all some kind of joke.

“I am getting tired of these games, just tell me whatever it is that you are going to tell me,” Hux tried to sit up but Kylo pushed him back down onto the sand forcefully.

“This is not a game,” he seemed to have offended him. Hux could sense that Ren wished to be taken seriously and so he was obliged to play along.

“Another ominous prophecy then? Well what is it?”

“You are lonely”

“Are we going to talk ab—“ Ren put a hand over the other’s mouth, glaring at him to keep silent and listen.

“Just as I am,” he let go of him and then looked at him expectantly.

“Y-yes well...what about that?” Hux turned away awkwardly, this was certainly not what he had expected and he had no idea what to do with such revelations.

“I would like to offer you my friendship,” Ren sat beside him, waiting for him to speak.

“And what does this ‘friendship’ entail, if I might ask?” Hux wanted to sit up but decided not to risk it.

“I will protect you, and you will protect me”

“From what?”

Kylo did not answer, instead reaching out and taking Hux’s hand. His first impulse was to pull away but somehow he felt that there would be a certain cruelty in it, as if he were kicking a pathetic old dog. There was something of kindness, of vulnerability, in the gesture which he was unaccustomed to. Definitely not from Ren.

He could feel the other’s nervousness and was pleased by it, the man seemed to him almost like a child in that moment. His very request was childish, naive even.

“Y-yes,” Hux hesitated before giving the hand a slight squeeze. He felt the sand shift as Ren laid down beside him, still clasping his thin fingers. With is other arm he pulled Hux closer against his body, as if shielding him from the cold night air.

“This is..strange,” Armitage murmured, looking up at him with a puzzled awkward expression.

“I know” Ren started to stroke his hair with his large clumsy hands, moving down to his face. Hux’s cheeks burned as he felt the hand touching his ear, as if he were feeling some being that had no right to take on a corporeal form.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I have never been close to anyone before, not like this”

“And is it part of our newfound friendship that we shall grope each other’s faces?”

“I know that you are nervous, and that you do not mind this,” Ren smiled at him.

“Get out of my head will you?”

“You can hold me too – I want you to”

“Y-you do?” Hux did not know what to do with his embarrassment, it all felt like some kind of surreal dream. He did not know what he wanted, what he would regret. Perhaps there were certain things that were best to keep to oneself.

“Yes. It is not a trap, or a joke, as you fear. I promise you Hux,” he placed a hand upon the other’s shoulder.

“I do not know what exactly you are hoping to get out of this,” said Armitage.

“The same thing that you have hoped for, at night when you are alone”

“Do not say things like that”

“I’m sorry”

Tentatively, Hux put his arm around Kylo’s waist, moving up to his back as he drew closer to him. He could feel Ren shiver at his touch and felt comforted by this small sign that there was some sincerity in the other’s strange words.

“This is..nice,” said Hux, feeling that he ought to speak to break the heavy silence that had gathered.

“Just listen to the water, you do not have to explain,” Kylo smiled at him benignly, “close your eyes”

Hux obeyed, touched by the unusual softness in the other’s voice. He could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest, a warmth emanating from his body that seemed to melt a coldness which had gathered within him over the years.


End file.
